peter990099 Posted February 22, 2017 Share Posted February 22, 2017 I found this strange fossil on the Durham coast foreshore in the north of England, an area know for its underlying Permian formation. It looks and feels different to other fossils I have found in the area (mostly crinoid stems). I was just wondering if anyone could give an identification if possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darktooth Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Can you take a better close -up? From what I can see it looks like a tiny belemnite. But can't be sure. I like Trilo-butts and I cannot lie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter990099 Posted February 23, 2017 Author Share Posted February 23, 2017 this is as close as I can get Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwood Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 9 hours ago, Darktooth said: Can you take a better close -up? From what I can see it looks like a tiny belemnite. But can't be sure. I think this would most likely be to old to be a belemnite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monica Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Hi peter990099! Could it be a broken echinoid spine? Also, I can't really tell from the picture - is your specimen "in" the rock, or are we just seeing an impression of it? Thanks! Monica Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 The rock is a Carboniferous crinoidal limestone. I think you have a couple of Hyalostelia sponge "root" fragments. Another possibility is brachiopod spine but looks a bit too thick. Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crann Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 I'm sure Durham coast (Sunderland, Seaham, Easington etc) has lots of plant fossils and sponges so I think more likely that than a belemnite. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter990099 Posted February 23, 2017 Author Share Posted February 23, 2017 #monica, the fossil sticks up from the rock and is not just a trace Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abyssunder Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 just to quote Tarquin: " Hyalostelia-type root tufts are locally common in Carboniferous rocks but quite rare in erratics from the coast - I've only seen a few specimens in years of collecting there. It's not a species. You won't be able to determine species or true genus from this specimen - a lot of different glass sponges (hexactinellids) have root masses that look much the same and the genus Hyalostelia (strictly defined by its body spicules) is just one of them. It's probably best just to label it "hexactinellid sponge root tuft". " - here " We are not separate and independent entities, but like links in a chain, and we could not by any means be what we are without those who went before us and showed us the way. " Thomas Mann My Library Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted February 23, 2017 Share Posted February 23, 2017 Thanks for finding that, @abyssunder! Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 I hope I can be forgiven for intruding, but this thread may have solved a long standing mystery for me. Years ago I posted about a Cretaceous fossil from a deep water deposit on Hornby Island, British Columbia. No convincing suggestions for an ID were offered then, and of course I had none either. This thread makes me suspect the fossil is a root tuft from a hexactinellid sponge. Does that seem reasonable to people? Note, more photos are in the linked thread. The fossil is about 10 cm long, and the fibers are about 0.5 mm thick, with some variation as can be seen in the photo of the end of the specimen. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TqB Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 @FossilDAWG I think you're right. Demosponges can also have root tufts though that's less common than hexactinellid (according to the Porifera treatise). Tarquin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 : Ehrlich_holdfsubstrat2013_Proc_Roy_Soc_B.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FossilDAWG Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 Thanks guys. It's nice to have a rational idea of what this fossil could be. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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